Exodus 13
Open in the reader1Then He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out,
2“Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the children of Strives-with-God belongs to Me, both of man and beast.”
3So Drawn-Out told the people, “Remember this day, the day you came out of Two-Straits, out of the house of slavery; for He-Who-Is brought you out of it by the strength of His hand. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
4Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving.
5And when He-Who-Is brings you into the land of the Humbled-Ones, Son-of-Terrors, Mountaineers, Tent-Villagers, and Trodden-Ones—the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you shall keep this service in this month.
6For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to He-Who-Is.
7Unleavened bread shall be eaten during those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, nor shall leaven be found anywhere within your borders.
8And on that day you are to explain to your son, ‘This is because of what He-Who-Is did for me when I came out of Two-Straits.’
9It shall be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the Teaching of He-Who-Is is to be on your lips. For with a mighty hand He-Who-Is brought you out of Two-Straits.
10Therefore you shall keep this statute at the appointed time year after year.
11And after He-Who-Is brings you into the land of the Humbled-Ones and gives it to you, as He swore to you and your fathers,
12you are to present to He-Who-Is the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to He-Who-Is.
13You must redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. And every firstborn of your sons you must redeem.
14In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand He-Who-Is brought us out of Two-Straits, out of the house of slavery.
15And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, He-Who-Is killed every firstborn in the land of Two-Straits, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to He-Who-Is the firstborn male of every womb, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’
16So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for with a mighty hand He-Who-Is brought us out of Two-Straits.”
17When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road through the land of the Philistines, though it was shorter. For God said, “If the people face war, they might change their minds and return to Two-Straits.”
18So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Reed Sea. And the children of Strives-with-God left the land of Two-Straits arrayed for battle.
19Drawn-Out took the bones of May-He-Add with him because May-He-Add had made the sons of Strives-with-God swear a solemn oath when he said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from this place.”
20They set out from Booths and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.
21And He-Who-Is went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night.
22Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place before the people.